Rodney Stark Books

As we all know and as many of our well established textbooks have argued for decades, the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history, Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and rightfully called “Hitler’s Pope,” the Dark Ages were a stunting of the progress of knowledge to be redeemed only by the secular spirit of the Enlightenment, and the religious Crusades were an early example of the rapacious Western thirst for riches and power. But what if these long held beliefs were all wrong? In this book, Rodney Stark, one of the most highly regarded sociologists of religion and bestselling author of The Rise of Christianity argues that some of our most firmly held ideas about history, ideas that paint the Catholic Church in the least positive light are, in fact, fiction. Why have we held these wrongheaded ideas so strongly and for so long? And if our beliefs are wrong, what, in fact, is the truth?<

Celebrated religious and social historian Rodney Stark traces the extraordinary rise of Christianity through its most pivotal and controversial moments to offer fresh perspective on the history of the world’s largest religion. In The Triumph of Christianity, the author of God’s Battalions and The Rise of Christianity gathers and refines decades of powerful research and discovery into one concentrated, concise, and highly readable volume that explores Christianity’s most crucial episodes. The unique format of Triumph of Christianity allows Stark to avoid dense chronologies and difficult back stories, bringing readers right to the heart of Christian history’s most vital controversies and enduring lessons.

An expose of ten popular misconceptions about the oppressive role of the Catholic Church in history.

The book explores the remarkable transformation of an obscure Jewish sect into the world's largest religion, highlighting the growth of Christianity, which now encompasses over 40 percent of the global population. Rodney Stark, a distinguished historian, delves into the social and historical factors that contributed to this rapid expansion, offering insights into the dynamics that have allowed Christianity to thrive across cultures and eras.

In The victory of reason, sociologist Stark advances the idea that Christianity and its related institutions are directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium. In Stark's view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and nonsecular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason. While the world's other great belief systems emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and reason as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress.--From publisher description

The essays in this collection provide an engaging introduction to Rodney Stark's thought-provoking insights on religion's role throughout history and in personal life. They challenge conventional academic views, encouraging readers to reconsider the significance of religion in society and its impact on various aspects of life.

The book explores the remarkable rise of Christianity from its humble beginnings, focusing on the influential preaching of a Galilean carpenter. It examines the demographics of early followers, the spread of the faith, and the factors that contributed to its growth into the world's largest religion. Utilizing quantitative data and contemporary scholarship, Rodney Stark challenges established narratives about the early church's expansion, revealing new insights into its historical impact and the dynamics of belief and conversion.

The truth about the Christian Crusades and Muslim Jihad.

In this page-turning, myth-busting history, acclaimed author Rodney Stark shows exactly why Western civilization triumphed over other cultures. Taking readers on a thrilling journey from ancient Greece to the present, Stark challenges much of the received wisdom about Western history, and debunks some absurd fabrications that have flourished in the past few decades.

This "fresh, blunt, and highly persuasive account of how the West was won—for Jesus" (Newsweek) is now available in paperback. Stark's provocative report challenges conventional wisdom and finds that Christianity's astounding dominance of the Western world arose from its offer of a better, more secure way of life. "Compelling reading" (Library Journal) that is sure to "generate spirited argument" (Publishers Weekly), this account of Christianity's remarkable growth within the Roman Empire is the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance...must read it." says Yale University's Wayne A. Meeks, for The Rise of Christianity makes a compelling case for startling conclusions. Combining his expertise in social science with historical evidence, and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark finds that early Christianity attracted the privileged rather than the poor, that most early converts were women or marginalized Jews—and ultimately "that Christianity was a success because it proved those who joined it with a more appealing, more assuring, happier, and perhaps longer life" (Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago).